COLTAN LEECH alternate, yes they do, between kicking you in the teeth and then tending to your wounds. Perfectly capable of laying down some crunching of the bone and yet also adept at removing you from your corporeal self so that you can drift off and watch the light show of sparking synapses switched on by their more Nightingale moments.

Unafraid to show their Hardcore influences, “A Spiral Of Deflecting Mechanics” comes charging in all guns blazing in a lowdown and fuzzy fashion far away from some of the crisp and clear exponents of the genre. Pounding away like a howitzer on parade, the lyrics are barked over the clatter whilst the more alternative streak the band possess eventually weaves into the fabric before taking precedence in the mid section. The jangled reflection here smoothes the waters before whirlpools appear and the moment builds again.

With “The Swarm” COLTAN LEECH are force fed some lead so that they are weighted down and trundle along on the brink of collapse as the low tuned riffs and distorted bass flatten anything soft and furry that gets in the way. Doomy chord crashes crack the crust toward the end allowing brighter and lighter refrains to break free and lift the whole. The dark clouds are gathering though and the light is snuffed out well before the end. The vocals here split between growls and cries adding to the emotional swirl.

Evoking some weeping widow distraught atop wind scoured mountain, the mid album instrumental employs cello effectively to portray the hurt. Then it's back to the business of nail gunning the penultimate track to your forehead with the now tried and trusted fuzzy dissonance. Chugging along like a locomotive at half steam, it keeps you guessing as to whether the brakes are coming off or whether gradient is going to slow it and increase the strain.

After stomping, albeit eloquently, all over you for a goodly proportion of the album, COLTAN LEECH set sail for different waters with “The Arsonist.” A warm haze blurs the gliding form of an Albatross that rides a gentle breeze as this predominantly instrumental piece gains altitude and begins to soar towards a more turbulent sea. Riffs build into waves yet that big old bird just calmly wafts above them, mocking the turmoil.

“A Seduction Of Shadows” is a two headed beast that knocks you down and then lifts you. There is no confusion of genres and despite the polarity between beginning and end, logic prevails whatever emotions are at play. Part of a growing clutch of Post Hardcore bands, there is plenty to recommend here. As one Banshee once sang, “We are entranced.” (Online July 11, 2006)